Treece
An English surname likely arising as a variant of Trees, tied to a place-name meaning “farmstead by a tree” or “tree enclosure.”
The #7,977 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,504 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a variant of Trees, and ultimately as a name formed from a tree-related place-word. The Harrison excerpt links it with Old English elements meaning “tree” and “enclosure/farmstead,” pointing to a topographic or locational sense such as a settlement by a tree or in a tree-bordered enclosure. The spelling Treece reflects later variation in English surname forms.
History
Harrison treats Treece as a variant form alongside Trees and Treeton, suggesting a northern English surname tradition. The name may have been influenced by local pronunciation and spelling changes over time rather than by a single fixed original spelling. In the modern U.S., Treece is uncommon but established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same source connects this surname family with Treeton in Yorkshire, whose old form was interpreted as meaning something like “the tree enclosure.”
From the historical record
“Farmstead [O.N. <r^ -f by-r] TREECE for Trees, q.v. TREES (Eng.) pi. (and genit.) of Tree, q.v. TREETON (Eng.) Bel. to Treeton (Yorks), the Domesday 7>-eto«e= the Tree Enclosure or Farmstead [O.E. treo + ttin] TREEVES = Treves, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)